Jam, Jelly, Preserve Makers---advice needed

[not2late]

I got a hold of "no sugar needed" pectin at my grocery store and want to try it out. Here's the thing......I've never made jam/jelly/preserves in my life. I remember my mom making peach preserves when I was a kid, but all she did was cook the peaches with sugar and spices then processed them in canning jars.

I saw a recipe for "Mexacali Jelly" here: Unusual Jelly Recipes It seems easy.

Mexicalli Jelly (Jalepeno or Hot Pepper Jelly)

Yields 5 Cups

Uses any hot chilies and peppers.

1/2 cup fresh hot chilies (seeded, ground) (about 1/2 lb. makes this amount)
1/2 cup sweet bell peppers (seeded and stemmed -- 2 medium peppers makes this amount)
1 1/2 cups cider vinegar
5 cups sugar
2 pouches liquid pectin

Grind chilies and bell peppers. Combine chilies, bell peppers and vinegar in pan. Bring to boil and simmer 15 minutes. Strain through cloth (see page 1). Do not squeeze out liquid, let drip to get a clear liquid.

Add sugar to strained liquid. Stirring constantly, bring to boil over high heat for 1 minute. Remove from heat and stir in pectin. Skim if necessary. Pour amber-colored jelly into sterile jars, leaving 1/8" headspace. Wipe jar rims, adjust lids and rings. Water bath 5 minutes.

Any tips on using the no sugar needed pectin?

Editing to add....I don't plan on straining the pepper-vinegar mixture, do you think it will work?

[CalicoPrairie]

Re: Jam, Jelly, Preserve Makers---advice needed

Any tips on using the no sugar needed pectin?

In the directions, does it give directions for making jam/jelly/preserves from chilis? Can you tell me the brand of pectin you have?

Editing to add....I don't plan on straining the pepper-vinegar mixture, do you think it will work?

See, canning is a science, so if you veer off the given recipe, you may cause issues with it setting up, staying edible, etc. Where did you get the recipe? I'd be willing to look into it and see if what you want to do is doable.

I have been canning for years and while I'm not an expert, I can probably help you, or at least point you in the right direction.

[not2late]

Re: Jam, Jelly, Preserve Makers---advice needed

It's the Ball brand of no sugar needed. I read the package insert over the weekend and it had no sugar needed recipes for jam (strawberry, etc.)

The recipe and the link to the website is posted in my initial post.

I have been canning for years and while I'm not an expert, I can probably help you, or at least point you in the right direction.

Don't be so modest! I know people who have been knitting for years and claim not to be experts, but they are a more valuable resource than the books are (plus they explain things so much clearer) !!!!

[not2late]

Re: Jam, Jelly, Preserve Makers---advice needed

Also what is your opinion about the "no cook jam" or refrigerator jam recipes? I read that on the package insert of the pectin box and was curious about them. Because I was thinking if I'm going to make a small batch (like 1 quart of something), the no cook or refrigerator jams might be more convenient for me.

[CalicoPrairie]

Re: Jam, Jelly, Preserve Makers---advice needed

Is this the stuff?


Ok, I've been searching around a bit for you to see if you need to add any sweetener at all, and I ran across this gem--I love this site btw!

How to Make Your Own Homemade Jalapeno Jelly (complete directions with photos)

If you scroll down a little over 1/3 of the page, there is a chart that says how to adjust the sweetener to get the desired result. It looks like if you want to use the no sugar pectin, you still need to add splenda into the recipe to get a no-sugar jam. I'm assuming it will still make it sweet to the taste, and I'm not sure that's what you are wanting.

Also, you mentioned about tweaking the recipe and not straining.....I would be really careful about tweaking ANY canning recipe unless you know for sure how it works for you. I have always been advised to use only recipes from Ball, or from county extension offices because they update the science on home canning pretty often.

On the other hand, I know many people that use their own hand-me-down recipes that their great great grandma, grandma and mom used and "no one has died yet", lol. The reality of it all is that each family/person has different eating habits, and while some might be able to make a recipe that doesn't follow strict canning science, some can't due to those eating habits (i.e., the salsa or jam doesn't last more than a month on one family's shelf, because they eat it so fast that it doesn't have time for any bacteria to grow over time--while another family might put up a dozen jars and they might use only that much for the whole year). I hope I'm making sense.

[not2late]

Re: Jam, Jelly, Preserve Makers---advice needed

You're making plenty of sense.

If the recipe calls for something like food coloring, is it really necessary to the gelling process or is it just to make the final product look prettier? I've read that things like mint jelly without the food coloring looks like....well....let's just say it isn't appetizing.

anyhow, I made a boo-boo on the pectin brand. On this page: Pectin

It has pictures of different pectins. I have the pink box one from Sure-Jell. I don't know why I thought it was Ball brand...maybe because my jars are Ball? Anyhow, it's the pink box.

That's a great site by the way.

[sandislim]

Re: Jam, Jelly, Preserve Makers---advice needed

This is all really interesting! I used to love making jams but thought that was all gone for good after Atkins. I will be very interested to see how everything turns out!

[CalicoPrairie]

Re: Jam, Jelly, Preserve Makers---advice needed

You're making plenty of sense.

If the recipe calls for something like food coloring, is it really necessary to the gelling process or is it just to make the final product look prettier? I've read that things like mint jelly without the food coloring looks like....well....let's just say it isn't appetizing.

Ok, I found this:
"The health conscious and those with food allergies or special dietary restrictions can reap additional benefits from home preserving because they can control or eliminate the sugar, food coloring, flavorings and other additives found in prepared foods. "

which leads me to believe that food coloring is optional. The whole sentence is a link to the original article, so you can read up some more on home canning if you'd like.

anyhow, I made a boo-boo on the pectin brand. On this page: Pectin

It has pictures of different pectins. I have the pink box one from Sure-Jell. I don't know why I thought it was Ball brand...maybe because my jars are Ball? Anyhow, it's the pink box.

That's a great site by the way.

I don't think it makes a difference which one. The reason I asked is because I wanted to know if I could look in the box I had and see anything about jalapenos on the insert (nope).

I like that site, it's really good. Lots of pictures and great info on preserving.

[not2late]

Re: Jam, Jelly, Preserve Makers---advice needed

Hey sandislim, I thought I would be stuck buying with that really strange looking sugar free jam in the supermarket. But last year someone made a batch of jam using the no-sugar needed stuff. So this year, I was able to find the no sugar needed pectin in my grocery store and I've decided to give it a try. I figure, if I know where I got the fruit (like at a local pick-your-own) I would be able to make something like jams without adding sugar or the other weird chemical stuff.

And when I was looking at different recipes on the net, I found the recipe for the jalapeno pepper jelly. It looked interesting and I like spicy foods. So if I could make it without any sugar or too much sweetener, it would be a nice addition to my menues.



Thanks for the help Calico! I'm gonna try to make something this weekend and I'll tell you all how it turned out.